Read on for the lowdown on the clash with Spurs.
Son returns
Heung-Min Son, who made 87 appearances and scored 29 goals for Bayer 04 from 2013 to 2015, returns to his old stomping ground with Tottenham. The South Korean has already netted four goals in the Premier League this term plus the winner in the 1-0 victory away to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. And he was recently the first Asian footballer to be named player of the month in England. “It’s a special game for me and I was excited when I heard about the draw. I had a good time at Leverkusen and I’m looking forward to meeting my old teammates,” said Sonny.
High-octane fixture
The game between Bayer 04 and Spurs promises to be a high quality encounter. Tottenham are the only team in the Premier League, to be unbeaten after eight games this term. And the approach of both teams suggests this should be a high-octane fixture. The Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed his respect for his fellow manager Roger Schmidt. “I admire him a lot and I’ve seen a lot of his games from his time at Salzburg and Leverkusen. We both favour a similar style: aggressive, full of running and always looking to play on the front foot. This could be a very entertaining fixture for the fans,” said the Argentinian at the pre-match press conference.
Berbo scores against old club
Bayer 04 and Tottenham have met once before on the European stage. Spurs won 1-0 at the BayArena in the group stage of the UEFA Cup in 2006/07 – thanks to a strike from Dimitar Berbatov, who spent five years at the Werkself before his move to London. The Bulgaria striker did not celebrate his goal out of respect for the Bayer 04 fans and his former teammates. There is certainly room for improvement in Bayer 04’s record in matches against English teams: Leverkusen have only won three of the 19 European games against opposition from the Premier League with the other matches ending in twelve defeats and four draws. However, Tottenham have only won four of the last 13 European encounters with teams from Germany (plus two draws and seven defeats).
Fortress BayArena
The Werkself are particularly resilient at home in Europe and have not lost on home turf in nearly two years. The last defeat on the international stage was a 1-0 reverse against AS Monaco in November 2014. Since then, Bayer 04 have clocked up four wins and four draws. The club record at Leverkusen is nine home games unbeaten on the bounce (between 1995 and 1998).
Injury update
In addition to the England striker Harry Kane (ankle problem) Spurs are also likely to be without the services of Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld due to a knee injury. Bayer 04 have three long-term absentees in Karim Bellarabi, Joel Pohjanpalo and Vladlen Yurchenko. It remains to be seen whether the skipper Lars Bender will be fit for tonight’s match.
No to Racism
UEFA are once again running their ‘No to Racism’ campaign against discrimination supported by the stars and top clubs – for the first time in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as well. The campaign runs from 6 to 20 October at 60 matches in the main UEFA club competitions with the aim of combating discrimination and celebrating diversity. Anti racism ads will be broadcast during half-time at the various stadiums. All teams will come onto the pitch accompanied by children wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘No to Racism’ and the two captains will wear special armbands.
Tickets still available
There are still some tickets available for the big match against Spurs in Europe’s premier club competition. The ticket offices at the BayArena are open tonight. Category IV (€42, concessions €28) and category II (€60, concessions €44) tickets are available in the Leverkusen section in blocks B1, F6 and F8.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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